


Star Wars: Wild Wanderers

by LittleHybrid



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alien Character(s), Alien protagonist, Gen, Jedi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-14 23:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleHybrid/pseuds/LittleHybrid
Summary: After discovering her Force abilities, the young hybrid Shila Arara enters the Jedi Academy to make an easier life for her father. But as the Clone Wars break out and tension rise in the Order, Shila must face her fears and decide which values she holds the most dear.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Shila Arara looks like this: https://littlehybridshila.deviantart.com/art/Star-Wars-Shila-Reference-677346403

“Dad, am I weird?”  
  
The young Trianii’s sudden question caught her dad unaware. Sitting with her wooden animal toys in the middle of the living room floor, the 3-year old had a look of genuine concern and sadness in her large brown eyes as she asked him. He sighed and smiled at her.  
  
“Of course not, Shila,” he replied as he walked over to squat down beside her. “You’re just special, like your mother was.”  
  
“That’s why I’m smaller, right? Because mother was too.”  
  
It was more a statement than a question. At 3 basic years, Trianii children were already mature enough to start talking excessively. He had not known if that would be a case with Shila, since she was a crossbreed. Although she had inherited most of her physical features from her Trianii dad, her fur color was a perfect mix of her Bothan mother’s albino white coat and the dark grey of her father, with her head, chest and forearms covered in a lighter grey, except for some symmetric beige spots around the eyes, and transcending into a pure white body with a strange pattern. A few grey patches broke up the white a few places. A big one on her back and two smaller ones on her belly and the start of the tail. Another, almost heart-shaped spot could be seen on the left side of her body. Her father liked this spot and made sure to point it out whenever he met new friends. Her tail was light yellow, like her mother’s has been, but to her father’s surprise, Shila had never sported much hair, something that the Bothans were known for, but she was indeed very small for her age, and he suspected she would grow up to only be around the height of a Bothan, unlike the 2 meters that Trianii usually reached.  
  
He sat down beside Shila and lifted her up on his lap, he took the Tooka shaped wooden toy from the pile on the floor.  
  
“Being small is not so bad,” he began. “You can hide better, get into small places. I bet you could even learn to lift yourself up with your tail. That’s something not many Trianii can do.”  
  
He took the curled up tail on the Tooka toy and placed it on his finger, making it hang off of it.  
  
“That’s so cool!” Shila exclaimed excited. “I wanna learn that!”  
  
Her father laughed quietly. Sure, she was a rare sight here on Ekibo, being a hybrid of two species, but hopefully her traits would end up being beneficial, rather than an inconvenience. She wasn’t weird at all, rather unique.  
  
He was interrupted by an unexpected knock on the door. The large feline let out an annoyed groan as he slowly got up to approach the entryway, Shila followed close behind, clutching the Tooka in her hand. He opened the door to see Oluun Tehan, the landlord of the ground floor apartment complex that housed many of the Trianii in this part of town, including Shila and her father. Oluun had two of his usual henchmen with him, an understandable precaution when approaching his renters, since not everyone in this neighborhood was harmless, and certainly did not enjoy his visits.  
  
“Hello Huutan,” the brown striped Trianii started calmly. “You haven’t paid this month’s rent yet. It was due 2 days ago.”  
  
“I already told Weeron I’d have it next week, when the paycheck from my night shifts come in,” Huutan replied a little surprised. “Did he not pass my message to you?”  
  
“Oh, he did,” Oluun responded, putting his hands behind his back. “It’s just that you said that last month, and the month before that.”  
  
“I know,” Huutan acknowledged. “I’m sorry, it’s just been hard to keep up with rent _and_ pay for food for both of us.” Huutan looked down at Shila, who stared back with big eyes. “I don’t want her to starve. And her daycare is not exactly cheap either.”  
  
Oluun removed a hand from his back and placed it around Huutan’s neck.  
  
“My friend,” he said, a bit more intimidating this time. “We all got families to take care of. If I don’t get my rent, then _my_ children starve. We wouldn’t want that, now would we?”  
  
Huutan knew that was a blatant lie. Oluun lived in luxury, in a gigantic house in the fancy part of town. He’d recently raised the cost of rent for no reason, though Huutan had noticed he’d since gotten a bigger ship and some new expensive clothes. Shila held the Tooka toy to her chest and took her father’s hand. She might have been young, but he could tell she knew the situation was bad.  
  
“Alright,” Huutan sighed, stroking Shila’s hand with his thumb. “I’ll take a few extra shifts and you’ll have your money within 2 days, is that okay?”  
  
“That will do,” Oluun responded reluctantly. “But only because I like you Huutan, you brighten up this shady district.”  
  
Huutan could tell the striped Trianii was being sarcastic, even if he tried to hide it. Oluun gave him a serious nod and continued down the street, probably to harass another family late on their fees. Huutan had been lucky, Oluun wasn’t usually this nice, he must have been in a good mood. He’d been known to throw people out on the street for being just days late, even rumors circulated about him having once beaten someone to death when they refused to leave their apartment.  
  
Huutan looked down at his daughter. Maybe her presence at the door was the thing that had saved him this time? He’d gotten a horrifying gut punch by a henchman the last time he was late. Shila had been at the daycare that day.  
  
He petted her head gently. She was good to have around, but now he had to leave. If he was going to be paying the rent in a few days, he needed at least two 16 hour shifts at work.  
  
“Honey,” he said to Shila and leaned down to look her in the eyes. “I have to go to work now, so I’ll drop you off at daycare on my way. It’s gonna be a while, so go get your sleeping kit.”  
  
“Do I have to, Dad?” Shila asked with lowered eyes. “I don’t like being there, the other kids are mean.”  
  
Huutan frowned and kissed her softly on the forehead.  
  
“I know,” he sighed. “But I need you to hang on just a little longer. Daddy is close to a promotion at work. That means no more long shifts, so you won’t have to be there as much.”  
  
“It’s okay, Dad,” she said understanding. “I’m ready to go now.”  
  
Huutan chuckled, thinking she was joking, but then discovered the sleeping kit bag neatly placed beside her.  
  
“When did you-“ He stood up to take his work comm from the table and place it in his utility bag. “Nevermind, let’s go!”

 

Huutan was grateful to have an all hours daycare within walking distance of his apartment, it made it easier to work enough shifts at the factory to cover the bills, and he didn’t have to start paying for a babysitter, which would be more expensive. He knew that Shila hated the place, but it was their only option, since money had been tight ever since her mother passed away. He tried not to worry about it too much. Trianii religion dictated that everything happened for a purpose and it was that trust in something greater that had kept him going back then. Kept caring for their one and only child. The hardships he’d faced since then was part of a greater universal balance, and he believed a shift in that balance was about to happen. This promotion waiting for him around the corner could be that shift.  
  
They reached the gates of the daycare. The lights inside had turned on and shone brighter than the slowly darkening twilight outside. Huutan opened the door and greeted two female Trianii, who were in the middle of cleaning plates and food off the main table.  
  
“If she needs dinner, I can still prepare a plate for her out in the kitchen,” the white striped female Giina told Huutan.  
  
“It’s okay,” Huutan responded and raised a hand. “We already ate.”  
  
He gave them the sleeping kit and leaned down to place a kiss on Shila’s head.  
  
“I’ll be back sometime tomorrow. Sleep tight, Sweetie.”  
  
Shila stood silent in the doorway, looking at him walking away until he turned a corner down the street.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how Trianii look: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Trianii/Legends  
> This is a Bothan: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan/Legends  
> There's not exactly an agreement on the exact look of a Bothan. I imagine them looking more lion-esque, like this: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan/Legends?file=Bothan_UM.jpg  
> Ekibo is a farming planet located in the Ekibo system, which is part of Trianii Space. Trianii Space is located in Wild Space.  
> Bothan do not officially exist in the new canon yet, and Trianii has only recently briefly appeared, so I'm taking liberties with their looks and lifestyle.
> 
> If you find typos or grammar mistakes, please let me know, so I can fix them! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Shila may not have known a whole lot about the universe, but one thing was for sure.  
  
She absolutely hated Tiran Roos.  
  
As she entered the playroom of the daycare, she saw him, being mean to the non-Trianii younglings as usual. A small Rodian was the target today, already crying her eyes out. Making younglings cry was the Leopard-spotted boy’s specialty. Shila looked to see that Giina was in the room, sitting on a table in the corner, doing nothing. She had bags under her eyes and was sipping a big old mug of caf. Shila sat down beside two other Trianii kids and tried to keep a low profile. Maybe Tiran wouldn’t notice her here if she just kept quiet. It didn’t take long before Tiran grew tired of the crying Rodian though, and he turned around to scan the room for someone else.  
  
   “Oh look,” he burst out loud and stepped on the toy Pod Racer Shila was trying to slid across the carpet. “It’s my favorite Trianii. Oh wait, no, it’s just a filthy halfbreed!”  
  
Tiran was a year older than Shila, but he knew a lot of grown-up words already, especially the bad ones. She tried to ignore him. He took the toy from under his foot.  
  
   “This is mine now.”  
  
Shila didn’t care, she didn’t own any of the toys in the playroom anyway. She looked towards Giina. Giina was still in her place, doing nothing and the other caretaker was nowhere to be found. She was probably smoking outside, every adult at the daycare seemed to smoke.  
Shila felt a sudden pain in her right hand. Tiran’s foot was on it.  
  
    “Don’t ignore me!” He yelled in her face and stomped on her hand again. Shila removed it quickly and held it to her stomach, rubbing the mark Tiran had left on it. She wanted to shout back in his face, but she was tired and she frankly couldn’t care less right now. She got up from the carpet and brushed past him to get to the Rodian who was still sobbing in the other corner of the room.  
  
   “There there,” she patted the Rodian gently on top of the green-skinned head. “Tiran is just jealous of your nice skirt.”  
  
She smiled and gestured to the Rodian’s clothes. The Rodian was wearing a blue top with a frilly girly skirt that suited her skin tone nicely. She stopped crying. Tiran was having none of it.  
  
   “Uh, we have _fur_ , halfbreed,” Tiran protested. “We don’t need clothes! Clothes is not the Trianii way!”  
  
   “And yet you still wear a diaper,” Shila retorted.  
  
True, she was still wearing a cloth diaper herself, but she was still only three years old, not four like Tiran. He was fuming now, Shila could tell. His face bright red. The other adult Trianii suddenly stepped into the playroom. Tiran noticed, and he took a deep breath and sighed.  
  
   “Forget it! You’re not worth it!”  
  
He then placed himself among the two other Trianii younglings and started playing and talking to them. Not long after, Shila heard Giina from the corner.  
  
   “Time for bed, kids!”

  
   Shila woke up when she felt something pull her ear. The room was darkened, but her feline eyes adjusted immediately and saw Tiran standing to the side of her cot along with the two Trianii younglings. Tiran laughed maniacally.  
  
   “You really think I wouldn’t punish you for insulting me?” He said with his hands on his sides. “You’re so stupid, halfbreed!”  
  
The other younglings started grabbing at Shila’s arms and legs.  
  
   “Let’s put her in the cooling unit,” he cheered playfully.  
  
   “I’ll scream,” Shila threatened as she struggled against the bigger children. Tiran send her an annoyed look, then got closer and waved a knife in her face. Most likely stolen from the kitchen.  
  
   “If you scream I’ll cut you,” he whispered.  
  
How stupid did he think she was? Screaming and waking the adults was a much better plan than being locked in the cooling unit.  
  
She took her chances and began screaming from the top of her lungs. Trianii ears were extremely sensitive and the younglings had to let go of Shila to cover their ears for a moment. She woke up the rest of the younglings in the sleeping room, some so shocked by the sudden awakening they began crying out loud. They soon heard noises down the hallway. The adults were awake.  
  
Tiran, angry with having his evil ploy end too soon, yelled in anger and charged at Shila with the knife. It hit her in the upper arm, deep enough to leave a cut, but not deep enough to bleed a lot. His second stab aimed for her head. This was it, Shila thought to herself. She was gonna die before the adults came to the rescue.  
  
She shielded her head with her arms, closed her eyes and hoped for the best. She felt a strange burst of energy and heard something that sounded like a blast and everyone yelling. She didn’t open her eyes before she heard Giina in the room.  
  
   “What’s going on in here?”  
  
Shila dared to look. The lights had been turned on by Giina. Tiran was lying on the floor in the other end of the room with the knife next to him. The two Trianii younglings were also on the floor. The cots around her own had moved away from her, with the other kids still sitting on them and some of the cabinets had opened with various items fallen out. She saw Tiran stir and slowly get on his feet.  
  
   “She's a demon!” he yelled and pointed.

  
   “Giina, you can't do this to me!”  
  
Huutan was sitting across from her at the table in the daycare office. Shila was sitting next to him in another chair, shifting between staring on the floor and the bandage around her right arm. It was still night time and the other younglings had been put to sleep again. Giina had contacted her father abruptly after the incident and he'd come rushing in soon after.  
  
   “I'm sorry Huutan,” Giina said, sounding defeated. “But Tiran's father is a very powerful man, I can't just send Tiran away, but I can't keep your children in the same room either. You will have to find someplace else.”  
  
Huutan was about to slam his fist on the table, but hesitated before the strike. There was no use in getting mad, there was nothing else to do at this point. He got up from his chair and took Shila by her hand. She reluctantly squeezed back. He then lifted her up to carry her to the door.  
  
   “Thank you for everything, Giina, we'll figure something out.”  
  
Once outside under the streetlights, he heard Shila tear up.  
  
   “I'm so sorry, Daddy!” She sobbed. “I didn't mean to!”  
  
   “Honey,” he touched her cheek softly and turned her head to look at him as she walked with her in his arms. “Listen to me. Never ever apologize for defending yourself.”  
  
   “Really?” she asked and wiped the tears with the back of her hand.  
  
   “Really,” Huutan repeated. “Tiran was coming at you with a knife. That kid is one mean son of a..”  
  
He stopped himself and looked down to see Shila holding her hands to her mouth. He sensed a slowly forming smile underneath.  
  
   “Sorry,” he chuckled to her. Reaching the front of their apartment, he let Shila down and let them inside. “How did you defend yourself? Giina said you turned everything in the room around.”  
  
Shila waddled to the corner of the entryway to drop her sleeping kit.  
  
   “I dunno, Dad. I closed my eyes and poof! It was like an explosion!”  
  
She closed her hands together and pulled them apart to simulate a blast.  
  
   “So maybe you move things with your mind?”  
  
   “Like a ghost?”  
  
They walked in to the small bedroom they shared. Huutan had a double bed placed in the corner, while her daughter’s single bed was placed at the end of his, turned 90 degrees.  
  
   “Sure, like a ghost,” he replied calmly.  
  
Though he didn’t show it, he was a little worried what this weird ability of hers were. He had seen it manifest a few times before, but he had always dismissed it as his overactive imagination. This time there was no denying it though, everybody had seen what she did at the daycare. Could it really be? The thought had crossed his mind earlier, but there was no way his little girl could have been chosen for that path. The Jedi.  
  
As he put Shila into her bed, he shook his head to rid himself of the thought.  
  
   “But I’m not a ghost, Dad,” she continued as she snuggled under the duvet. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment before continuing with a whisper. “Mom’s a ghost.”  
  
   “Yes,” Huutan whispered back as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Now go to sleep, it’s late.”  
  
Shila didn’t protest, and laid down immediately. Huutan sighed, ridding himself of his utility belt, the only thing he wore, and dragging his heavy and tired feet to his own bed and falling asleep right as his head hit the pillow.  
  
It was a dreamless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a challenge to write from the perspective of a child, but fun!  
> Also Tiran is a bitch! xD
> 
> If you find typos or grammar mistakes, please let me know, so I can fix them! :)


End file.
